1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to spark ignition for gas appliances, and more particularly to an electrode assembly for manual spark ignition of a gas burner such as for a gas stove and a gas grill.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various arrangements are known in the art for spark ignition of gas burners such as gas stove oven burners, gas stove top burners or gas barbecue grill burners. Many known arrangements include a high voltage electrode positioned relative to a ground member so that a spark will jump between the high voltage electrode and the ground member to ignite the gas when high voltage is applied to the high voltage electrode. Typically the high voltage electrode is positioned by an insulative support member so that an end portion of the electrically conductive wire defining the electrode is located near a grounded burner cap or side-wall. Problems with these arrangements include potential damage to the exposed end of the high voltage electrode during use and that reliable and repeatable operations may not be achieved due to the electrode position. Also, a possibility of electrical shock to the user exists.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,810,188 and 4,846,671 assigned to the assignee of the present invention, disclose improved spark ignited gas burner assemblies. While these spark ignited gas burner assemblies provide advantages over various known spark ignited burner assemblies, it is desirable to provide a spark ignition arrangement that eliminates the possibility of electrical shock to the user while providing reliable and repeatable operations.